


IMPACT

by jedusaur



Series: Cause and Correlation of Death [5]
Category: Machine of Death - ed. Bennardo/Malki/North, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 06:24:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16613621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedusaur/pseuds/jedusaur
Summary: "IMPACT," says Steve. "Both of us. We got them at the same time, at the World's Fair. His was the fall from the train. I thought mine was the plane, but I guess I was wrong. Considering, you know." He does jazz hands.





	IMPACT

"It could mean, you know, emotional impact," Riley suggests.

"Our job is to do very dangerous things very high up in the air," says Sam. "I'm pretty sure it means we're gonna crash into the ground and die."

Riley barrels on, undeterred. "Like, if you lost your life savings in the stock market and it just hit you all at once, oh shit, and then you had a heart attack or something."

"Not necessarily the ground," Sam concedes. "One of us might crash into a building and die. Or there is a strong possibility that we might crash into a plane and die."

"Picture this," says Riley, leaning forward. "You've been married for forty years to a woman who travels a lot on business. One day you're going through a filing cabinet full of insurance documents and you find her secret stash of alternate identities. She's an international spy! The shock is too much for you to take. By the time the ambulance arrives, your body is getting cold and your wife is halfway to Estonia."

"You know," says Sam, "I bet you're gonna crash into me and die."

*

Riley crashes into the ground and dies.

*

Sam isn't afraid to fly. He's just afraid to fly for no good reason. He knows his impact is coming someday, he's accepted that, but he needs to know it will be worth it. He needs to die _for_ something.

When he does fly again, he flies for something. He's not sure it's what he wants to die for, but at least it's something.

*

"IMPACT," says Steve. "Both of us. We got them at the same time, at the World's Fair. His was the fall from the train. I thought mine was the plane, but I guess I was wrong. Considering, you know." He does jazz hands. Sam wonders if the sarcastic use of the gesture dates back to his time or if he learned it in the present. Probably Tony taught him.

Steve doesn't take Sam's question as an invitation to turn it back on him. He's a good guy like that.

*

Steve was wrong about the plane, and now he's wrong about the train. Sam flies for something else.

*

"IMPACT," Sam says. 

Steve didn't ask. "Ah," he says.

"Riley, too."

Steve nods like he's already figured that out. It does seem a little bit inevitable, now that Sam is saying it out loud.

"So, Bucky," says Sam, already grateful before he starts the sentence that he won't need to finish it.

"Yeah," says Steve.

Sam tenses the corners of his lips, not a smile, just an acknowledgement that their silences are about to get a lot less comfortable.

As it turns out, they don't. He hasn't felt this comfortable since... in a long time.

*

"I bet that's not even what it means," Bucky grumbles. "What kind of impact is gonna take out Captain America? It'll be the impact of surprise or some shit."

Sam doesn't say anything, because Bucky doesn't get to hear it, but later he tells Steve about that conversation with Riley.

"Well," says Steve. "You were right about him. Maybe he was right about you."

"Yeah," says Sam, "maybe," and thinks of different reasons to fly.


End file.
